


Cruelty

by YsaX64



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-04-24 12:08:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22198870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YsaX64/pseuds/YsaX64
Summary: The rumors told tales of an Emperor clad in iron, whose eyes burned violet with cruelty, whose hands were stained with blood and whose tongue told nothing but lies.Edelgard von Hresvelg, some days, asked herself how true the rumors were.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard von Hresvelg/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Cruelty

**Author's Note:**

> Now, now, for another angsty ride.  
This one has a few moments of wound descriptions that might gross some people out. It's nothing too heavy, nothing I would consider gore but it's worth pointing out.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Her body acted before she did. And so did Aymr.

The power in her blood sang. She swung her ax upwards, cleaving the pulsating weapon on the bow knight. The storm of rage that took over her soon subsided. The nameless knight fell, trampled and forgotten on the battlefield. 

Edelgard wasn't paying attention to him.

In a careless move, she turned to glance behind. Her eyes widened and she immediately regretted it.

Hubert was doubled over, she could even see the arrow plunged in the ground after it had ripped cleanly through him. His eyes, usually so green and sharp, were glossed over and hazy. The arrow had pierced right through his belly, tearing soft tissues until it found its way on the other side. As there was little blood – indicating internal bleeding – and Hubert barely noticed it, somewhere within her knew that this wasn't a wound that could be healed.

Of course, she had witnessed the powers of faith magic many times. It could be done. It had to be done.

His chin tilted slightly up, his unfocused eyes finding hers. Even among the mess of the battlefield, she could hear his soft whisper.

"My apologies. It seems that I must fall back."

With a flick of his fingers, a pink ethereal glow engulfed him and he took his leave, all in less than a second. 

As the noise of the battlefield took over, she steeled her resolve and marched back to the battlefield.

* * *

"Derdriu is ours."

Hubert was there, he was the one to bear the news once Claude fled. Perhaps if she didn't know the sound of his footsteps, she wouldn't have noticed as he hesitated, trudging back to the infirmary. Still, there was no need to press it.

One of his men, garbed in the dark clothes of a mage, approached him, speaking in a hushed tone. She didn't question it.

He would be fine. He had to be fine.

* * *

"He is not reacting to–"

"I see." Edelgard cut the priest off, tone bitter enough so that the young man flinched. She instantly regretted it. No need to shoot the messenger. "Then keep trying."

Hubert could still fight back. He would resist it, as he had done so many times. And yet, the bile rising on her throat whenever she thought of the arrow, stuck in the ground after it had ripped through flesh and tissue and–

Edelgard shook her head. She had seen worse in every way possible. And yet! She grunted, unable to shake off the mental image. As if coming to her aid, a neutral voice spoke up behind her.

"Do your best to keep him stable. We still need his service."

Edelgard glanced over her shoulder, but she already knew who was there. Byleth, still a bit dirty and bloody from the battlefield, back straight in confidence. Their expression was neutral, but after some careful inspection, one could see the flickers of emotion beneath the surface. A twitching eyebrow, lips quirked downwards. 

"As you wish," the priest said, relieved from having to answer to the Emperor. "If you two will excuse me."

The man turned on his heels and left the tent, leaving Byleth and Edelgard alone. The image left a bitter taste in her mouth. Usually, they had a third member in the after-battle meetings.

"So," Byleth started the conversation, a rare occasion. It could mean nothing but trouble. "I see that you used your relic in this battle."

Nothing escapes their sharp eyes, isn't it? It was a tad bit cruel to use the power of a relic on a nameless, low-rank soldier, but Edelgard didn't regret it.

"So you noticed."

Byleth's lips twitched, almost as if trying to smile.

"I hardly miss anything when it comes to the battlefield." The small smile faltered and the professor retreated to a somber look as the air suddenly became heavier. "Of course, there are things that even I am unable to predict."

Edelgard shook her head.

"There is nothing to apologize for. Your tactics have been nothing short of perfect." Byleth opened their mouth, but Edelgard cut them off. "This is but a hiccup. Hubert stills lives."

For how long? The question loomed over the two of them and Byleth seemed to almost say something, but then only a sigh left their lips. Edelgard shifted on her weight. That wasn't the expected answer, but, then again, when had Byleth acted predictably?

"If you prefer to think this way."

A shiver ran up her spine. 

* * *

She had heard the whispers. The cruelty of the Emperor, cleaving her Relic in a poor, nameless knight. A man who probably had a family and had met his end in the most gruesome way possible. Of course, not many cared about the lives of those on the other side of the battlefield, but there was something particular about seeing a bow knight being maimed by a terrifying pulsating ax.

Not like she cared. 

Entering Hubert's room, her eyes soon focused on the flock of priests and bishops crowding him. Her eyebrow twitched. In theory, he should have been in the infirmary, as they were now back at Garreg Mach, and yet they preferred to continue the procedures in his own room. The smell of blood and the remnants of faith magic infected the air, looming over her like a sickness clinging to the skin. Even though she had been covered head to toe in blood more than once during the long years of war, the smell of iron in the air made her stomach turn.

She took one step further in the room and all eyes focused on her. As the younger ones trembled and the older ones averted their gaze, Edelgard couldn't help but wonder if they had caught wind of the Emperor's streak of cruelty.

"Your Majesty," one of the older men stuttered. "His condition is stabilized by our magic, but he is still very frail. He was supposed to be–"

"Quiet." 

A raspy voice grunted, silencing the bishop. Edelgard almost didn't recognize him for a second, the usual grave lilt of his voice missing, substituted by a tinge of breathlessness. Her eyes widened, but nothing more in her expression changed.

"Bishops, thank you for your service, but I would very much appreciate it if you could leave us alone now. I will ask for a proper report later," Edelgard ordered, keeping her tone level.

They stared at each other for a moment, before bowing down in agreement, taking their leave one by one. It wasn't long until the Emperor and Minister were alone together. 

Hubert was propped up in his elbows, pale skin exposed as he seemed to be wearing nothing at all, only the sheets covering from hips to feet. Frail as he was, it was almost possible to count his ribs as he breathed in and out. Was it always like that or a result of the turmoil of the last few days? Regardless, her eyes trailed down and she winced. 

The wound was not visible but the bandages covered in blood indicated enough. A faint glow of faith magic remained, but, just the Bishops said, it didn't look like it was having any effect. It all served to show how the hit had been a stroke of luck on that bow knight's part, but one that had been potentially fatal.

Potentially. Merely potentially, because Hubert was still alive and he was still fighting.

She averted her eyes back to his face and, to no one's surprise, a droll half-smirk was gracing his lips. His bright eyes had regained some clarity, but there was a spark of emotion in there that she couldn't identify. He was covered in a thin layer of sweat, his hair clinging to his face. 

With a sigh, she reached out and tucked the bangs on his face behind his ear. 

"There is no need to put too much time on me right now, Your Majesty. Derdriu was conquered but there is still much to be done."

She promptly ignored him, taking a seat next to his bed.

"You are supposed to be in the infirmary," she accused, trying to keep her tone neutral. Hubert merely shrugged in response, but the pained twist on his face told her that he soon regretted the quip.

"All of my papers are here.

He did not. He couldn't have just said what she had heard. It was a mistake.

"What?"

He averted his eyes back to her and her expression must have been terrible because Hubert soon sighed, leaning back on the pillows.

"In my current pitiful state, I have little else to do but continue my work. As you can see, I am pretty much useless–"

"Do not continue this phrase," Edelgard hissed through her teeth. Her jaw clenched, a dull ache seizing her heart.

Hubert quietly looked back at her, saying nothing more.

An awkward silence loomed over them, as Edelgard took it as a moment to gather her wits. Being so emotional would lead to nowhere. Hubert was probably thinking the same, perhaps even biting back a quick remark. Not that it mattered. She straightened her back in the chair. Hubert had walked alongside her for long enough so that one would think he would be looser around and yet! While she could say for sure he was much more closed off to their companions when compared to her, Hubert was still just as inscrutable as a cat.

Her jaw tightened, almost as if resigned to her fate. She couldn't accuse him of being so closed off when she herself was just the same. Her companions had said so, in whispers, so many times when they thought she wasn't listening. Aloof isn't the word for either of them, they said, but Edelgard and Hubert are still distant, lofty. Secluded in their own island, but still–

"My apologies."

He cut off her train of thought. Her eyes snapped back to him. Hubert was still laying down, but he had turned his head to her. His lips were curled downwards ever so slightly, a sign of his discomfort. 

"No need for apologies," she grunted back. "I just cannot fathom why you willingly decided to stay here in order to work."

How sentimental she was right there. Perhaps it was as the others said. The closer one got to Hubert or Edelgard, the more secrets they seemed to have, that was what their classmates said behind their backs. A bitter taste settled in her mouth as she realized that perhaps that rule applied to her as well.

Hubert, unaware of her musings, merely shifted in his bed.

"Wounded or not, I won't shy away from my duties. There is always much to be done. For me and for you. I will not back down from my duties, especially because I would never wish to do so."

There it was. Hubert would never dare to send her away explicitly, but she could take a hint. Of course. He was always right in that aspect. There was still much to be done. And she would respect his implicit requests. All of them.

Edelgard studied his face for a moment. It took her two seconds to realize that she was looking for some excuse for her to stay. 

"Very well," she muttered, getting up in one fluid motion. "Rest, Hubert. This is an order from your Emperor."

If she had to use her authority to keep him from overworking himself to death – she couldn't think like that, not when the smell of blood still infected the air – so be it, then. He raised an arm to his chest as if he would bow, a hint of a smile – or a wince? – playing on his lips.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

She turned on her heels. Part of her mind wanted to spare one more glance to him, but Edelgard didn't. Perhaps it was just the hints of her earlier annoyance, perhaps it was her own subconscious trying to avoid one last look at that bloody wound. It didn't matter in the end. She left the room saying nothing more. The air outside felt just as stifling as inside.

"Your Majesty?"

Before she could pull herself together, another bishop appeared before her. A more experienced one at that, one that wouldn't tuck his tail between his legs at her simplest order.

"Yes?"

She couldn't help the curt response. At least, the man, just as she had expected, didn't flinch away.

"We are keeping him stable with vulneraries, as it is the usual procedure," he lingered too much on his words, despite never truly hesitating. "He should be able to go back to his service in a week or so of treatment..."

There was a "but" looming over the conversation. She should have pressed the issue. Edelgard knew that and even still, that streak of sentimental decisions – perhaps it was even that streak of cruelty many had associated with her – made her ignore it. Worse, the Emperor was fully conscious that she was ignoring it. Why?

Not even she had that answer.

"Very well. Thank you for your service."

* * *

"We still have a whole invasion to the Kingdom to plan, Lady Edelgard. I presume it would be best if you weren't half-asleep while doing it."

Half-teasing, half-reprimand. Typical Hubert. And even more characteristic of him, he was right. A yawn took over her but she closed her jaw halfway through as if biting down the drowsiness. She still had much to do.

Edelgard blinked rapidly, her focus shifting back to Hubert. The candlelight made him look particularly gaunt, casting shadows on his bony features. The dark circles under his eyes were darker than usual, sunk green eyes tracked on her. Watching, observing. He spoke up first, careful with his words.

"I take that we both need rest."

That was not what she would have expected to hear from him. Both? How rare it was for him to admit that he needed rest. Edelgard's eyes flickered to his abdomen, where the arrow had hit. There was no sign of the wound but the fabric bunched to accommodate the bandages. It had been only a few weeks since that incident and it still loomed over her.

"Very well."

She glanced over one last time to the maps and papers scattered before her. It was late indeed, even Byleth had already taken their leave. No point in mulling over possibilities that would lead nowhere. The Kingdom wouldn't go anywhere. Rhea, the atrocious beast, would have nowhere to run. It was the twilight of that dreadful war.

But, first, she had to rest.

Turning on her heels, she didn't need to say anything else as Hubert followed her, always a step behind. 

His gait matched hers, despite the height difference. She couldn't help but wonder if he always had a slow pace or if he intentionally matched hers. Regardless, it didn't matter as she took her leave, crossing hallway after hallway in Garreg Mach as they got back to her quarters. She had a particular room in the monastery, more or less a safety precaution that Hubert had insisted on and he, as always, kept his room close to hers.

Enough so no one would comment on him sliding closer to her and entering her room.

Routine, common as it was, so Edelgard didn't need to say a word as she slid down in the vanity, settling as quiet as her armor would allow, and Hubert started lighting the candles. Merely habit, for she knew that he was acquainted well enough with her room and the procedures to guide himself even in the dark and still proceed perfectly. He could use a lantern even, but, for some reason, he seemed to prefer the more subtle light of the candles and Edelgard couldn't fathom why. But, as she watched the way his chest tensed slightly with every deep breath, Edelgard found herself comforted by the usual course of action.

One, two, three, four candles lit, bathing his dark complexion in an orange tinge. For a moment, they stood quietly in front of the mirror, silence looming over them as if it was clinging to the night wind itself. The flames had never made justice to Hubert's frame. The dark clothes, the pale skin, raven-black hair, all of it made so that the flickering light would blur the contours and lines of his frame until it was hard to tell where the shadows began and the man ended. 

Particularly so when his face seemed sharper, thinner than usual. His eyes are sunken in, brow deeply linen in thought.

"My lady," he murmured as if asking for permission.

"We can start." 

Her response was blunt and she half-wished it wasn't. Tired? Perhaps. It would be soon a month since the Battle of Derdriu and Hubert hadn't stepped in a battlefield yet. Despite the bishops' reassurance that he would be able to continue his duties, it was clear to Edelgard that said "duties" wouldn't include his role as a general so soon. Her jaw tensed, but nothing else in her expression changed – as far as she could tell, at least.

Unaware of her musings, Hubert started their personal ritual.

"There are a few reports of some forces of the Church of Seiros gathering near Ailell."

His voice was low and husky as if they could be overheard at any moment. But there was no one else there, just Edelgard and Hubert. His hands worked with intricacies of her crown, allowing her a moment to take in the information.

"They are marching towards Garreg Mach, I presume."

She closed her eyes, trying to maintain her head in place as he gently undid the pins that kept the horns in place.

"We can assume so, considering the current circumstances. The reports, however, weren't precise on this matter. In order to reach Garreg Mach, they would have to cross Ailell, after all."

She hummed in agreement as Hubert took the weight of her head – literally. The very feeling brought a smile to her lips. Perhaps one would think that taking off one's shoes after a long day was an unsurmountable pleasure, yet it was nothing compared to taking off her golden horns.

"They will lose men and morale in the Valley of Torment, but that doesn't mean we should underestimate them."

She knew that well enough. Time to cut to the chase.

"What are the chances of that Rhea herself is with them?"

Hubert's hands hesitated and she could hear his sharp intake of breath. Still, everything continued, as his fingers gently curled around her jaw, setting her head straight as he brushed her hair. Opening her eyes, she could see in the reflection as he focused on her white locks, taking his time.

Her lips trembled in a shadow of a smile. She supposed that was one way of avoiding her question. Contrary to her expectations, however, his bright green eyes darted back to meet hers in the reflection.

"The reports are contradictory on this matter. Some affirm that yes, others say that they don't."

"So we will prepare for any situation."

"It's all we can do."

Resigned and final, it left a bitter taste in her mouth to know that he was indeed right, like always. If the scouts didn't manage to properly detect it, there wasn't much that could be done, at least not in time for the battle to come.

They continued in silence. It was easy, to be quiet like that with Hubert around. They didn't need to fill the vacuum with idle chatter, neither of them would wish to. At some point, aloofness had become the baseline of their personalities and, for as much isolation it had brought them, it had its advantages. 

The brush continued, up and down her hair. If she were to tell someone, even among their inner circle, that Hubert was quite the skilled hairdresser, would they believe her? Maybe Byleth, but, then again, they had seen through Hubert's façade from the beginning. 

Taking her out of her musings, Hubert stepped back, setting the brush aside. Inviting her for the next step. As she stood up, Edelgard couldn't help but notice how his posture was a bit too straight, too terse. Her eyes darted back to where the arrow had ripped through skin, flesh, and bone.

No sign of wound but she knew better. As Edelgard stood before him he could unclasp her armor for the night, she couldn't help but bit her bottom lip as Hubert winced every time he bowed. In a fleeting thought, the Emperor questioned if she was just as cruel as the rumors made her be, demanding her loyal servant's presence.

* * *

Soon, the forces of the Church of Seiros came and went and Edelgard turned a blind eye to the two figures with green hair fleeing the battlefield. If Hubert were beside her in battle, he would deem the decision imprudent and careless, for it could bite them back in the future.

But, with a bitter taste in her mouth, Edelgard had to acknowledge that Hubert was back in the inside of Garreg Mach, maintaining control of the reserve forces as he was still too weak to take the battlefield once more. Now that he didn't take his rightful place beside her, the rumors about his wounds spread like wildfire. 

That he had been gravely wounded and probably wouldn't take the battlefield again. That, if he was anyone else, he would have already been discharged and granted permission to go back home. That his Emperor demanded his presence even considering so.

As the days passed by and each time he bowed to her seemed stiffer, Edelgard was slowly acknowledging it. As regretful as it was to not have him by her side during the defense of Garreg Mach, he was still useful as an advisor and Minister. Even if it meant having to endure seeing him try to catch his breath during simple tasks, eating even less than what he did before.

"Just a hitch. It is all, Lady Edelgard."

That is what he said, every time. So she wouldn't worry. In a way, it worked. Edelgard knew that he was trying to make light of the whole situation, but she also knew that he wouldn't hide it if he weren't confident he could handle it himself.

However, it still bothered her. She knew that he hid many things from her, many of them she couldn't even fathom the expanse of his schemes. Edelgard was fully confident that he only wished the best for her – something she wasn't sure she could say about anyone else, as regrettable as it was – and so she turned the blind eye to many of his maneuvers.

It had been that gnawing concern that brought her back to the infirmary, face to face with one of the bishops. This one, indeed, she remembered his face. One of the few who wouldn't cast away his gaze.

"Do you need anything, Your Majesty?"

Worry laced his tone, enough so that Edelgard acknowledged his genuine concern. As much as most of the Church loyalists had rallied under Faerghus, she knew better than to think that all of those around her wished the best for her.

"It is not for me," she quickly answered, quelling any doubts that she was anything but in perfect health. "I wish to ask about the situation of the Minister of the Imperial Household."

Ah, but the silence that followed spoke a thousand words. The man cleared his throat.

"He didn't tell you, I presume?"

The bishop tried to be as tactful as possible, she could hear it in the soft tones of his voice. Even so, the sting of the implications hurt. 

"There is much that Hubert doesn't tell me."

She went for the neutral answer, concealing the bitter taste in her mouth and how her chest tightened. As if trying to not get any more involved in complicate affairs that didn't involve him, the bishop merely nodded, straightening his back.

"His situation is delicate. The wound did not react properly to the healing we provided. The skin closes, but with the internal damage, he has to take vulneraries rather constantly in order to… keep himself stable."

Also known as to not bleed to death. 

She could read between the lines well enough, it wasn't hard to see how the bishop was choosing his words carefully.

"Very well," she answered, trying to maintain her voice neutral. "Then you all will do your best efforts to keep him well." 

Sometimes, her years of maintaining a certain distance of anyone that wasn't Hubert made themselves know, rearing their ugly head as if to remember her how much the world had been cruel to her. Sometimes, it appeared in the tone of her voice.

The bishop got the message well enough.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Edelgard could already hear the rumors. The cruel Emperor who forced her Minister to keep serving her despite his state. Perhaps there was a tinge of truth in the idea that she was a cruel woman then.

* * *

"So, Fhirdiad should be our next objective."

Hubert answered with a low chuckle.

"It would indeed be the most usual course of action."

Edelgard had played word games with Hubert enough to recognize it already. Sitting on the vanity, ready to prepare herself for the long day before her, Edelgard raised an eyebrow, staring at Hubert's reflection. 

Almost two months had passed since the Battle of Derdriu and his expression was still all too sharp, his cheekbones almost cutting through the paper-thin of his pale skin. The dark circles – the ones that she couldn't help but take the blame for, as she knew that those sleepless nights were for her – framed his sunk eyes. Still, there remained a glint of pride in his gaze, prompting her to continue.

"I take that you have a suggestion that wouldn't be the common procedure."

His eyes stared back at hers in the reflection, brush stopping for a moment as he smirked, catlike and mischievous and dangerous. 

"May I suggest another location for our attack?"

She nodded, eyes tracked on him as a low chuckle filled the air.

"Arianrhod."

Silence filled the air as he continued to brush her hair as if he had merely suggested that she should change her morning tea to Earl Grey. Still, it didn't surprise her. 

"There is where Cornelia is based on," Edelgard pointed out, fully aware that he knew it as much as she did. 

He hummed in response, agreeing as he proceeded to pick up her horned crown, the literal weight of her metaphorical burden. 

"I take that you wish to take your chance to send a message to my uncle."

It was hardly a question. She knew it, in the shape of his smirk, that that was exactly his plan. A way of having a taste of the sweet revenge they had waited for so long to enact.

She almost smirked, until she saw something in the corner of her eyes. His hands, holding her golden crown, trembling. Not merely trembling, no, more like spasming. Her eyes widened.

"Hubert."

Her voice, filled with concern and warning, seemed to reach his ears as his eyes darted back to hers, squinted as if the very sublight strained his eyes.

"Don't worry," he coughed, even his breathing was shallow, chest tight.

She raised from her chair, but, before she could say anything else, he raised one hand, stopping her in her tracks. His free hand was fumbling with his belt, pulling a teal-colored vial – an _ elixir _, she would recognize that anywhere.

He brought the vial to his mouth, pulling out the cork with his teeth – could he even pull it out normally, his hands trembling as they were? Edelgard did not delve in such thoughts any further – and gulped it down all at once.

He shivered, putting the vial aside, licking his lips. 

"I hope you excuse my–"

"An elixir," she snapped before she could control her temper. Before she had been informed that he was using vulneraries – weaker medicine – not an _ elixir. _

He knew what it meant. Elixirs were used on the battlefield, to mend bone and muscle, to put together things too broken for a simple vulnerary. Most certainly not meant for long-term usage, much less for a wound that should have healed long ago. Edelgard clenched her jaw.

"I kept you at my service on your request and yet your situation is this bad?"

He tilted his head to the side, expression unchanged, but something in his eyes belied his nervousness.

"I know, my lady. However, I cannot afford to fall back."

The audacity.

"Enbarr has been alone for years since I joined the fray. Perhaps you would serve me better there."

Now that struck a nerve. His whole posture tensed as if someone had hit him with a thunder spell. 

"My lady, the best healers we have are here."

Reasoning. Desperate reasoning to cover up the dread underneath. She steeled her heart and her body braced as if she was heading to battle.

"Our best healers are on_ the battlefield _, Hubert. Back in Enbarr, you wouldn't have to serve to perform as many tasks, you would have more time to recover and–"

"I cannot leave your side, my lady."

His voice was raspy as they locked horns, his patience just as unending as her stubbornness. She grunted, squinting her eyes. She knew he wanted nothing more than to remain walking the same path as her, but even so, Edelgard couldn't help but think, think about who he would have been. Would he still have a heart of stone had fate not bound the two of them together?

Still. She didn't have time to spare with sentimentalism and thoughts that lead nowhere.

"You will stay, then." Bitterness coated her tongue even if Hubert visibly relaxed. "However. If your condition worsens, you will be sent back to Enbarr and I will not compromise on this matter."

Hubert exhaled, picking up her crown again.

"That is all I can ask for, my lady."

* * *

The day came when they invaded Arianrhod, sinking their talons on the unprepared enemy. 

Those who slither in dark, however, they would never let such offense pass. The javelins of lights rained from the skies. But the eagles soared above it still, even if most would be unaware of the true reason why rained death that day. 

Hubert did not join the fray that day either, but he followed her as far as he could go and, as soon as the battle was done, he slid back to her side.

She saw the masked men – garbs of dark mages, the kind that Hubert trusted – flocking around him, delivering items and whispering secrets.

Edelgard did not interfere. 

* * *

They were quiet, but, oh, the silence spoke for them. Edelgard standing up, the dark of the night cloaking Hubert, his haggard complexion all more clear in the contrast between the dark of his clothes and the paleness of his face.

"I take that our next step is Fhirdiad."

They wouldn't address Arianrhod. Not that, not that terrible disaster that left a husk in the place of her heart and stirred the anger that dwelled just out of reach within them both. 

"Indeed."

In Fhirdiad, Dimitri Alexander Blayddyd awaited them. Rhea as well, that terrible beast in the shape of a human. The war was very close to its end. Edelgard half-expected to be nervous – she had been nervous before the attack in Garreg Mach, after all – yet a coldness spread through her very being.

Perhaps she had truly embodied the cruel Emperor clad in armor. 

She almost laughed, but there wasn't anything funny about it.

Hubert kneeled before her, his deft hands quickly finding the clasps of her armor. He knew exactly each and every joint, even the easiest ways of unclasping it. Gentle fingers, putting aside the pieces one by one.

Silent, but silence speaks, loud and clear. 

How odd it felt, to not have the pressure of armor. Buried herself in steel all day, it was now strange to not feel its weight. For a brief moment, realization washing over her like warm water, she asked herself when that had become the norm.

Still, it was nothing more than a fleeting second, for Hubert was already up and stepping back, merely waiting for her order to excuse himself. 

Her eyes darted up. The green of his eyes was almost swallowed by his dark pupils, but there was something odd about it, glossy, hazy, unfocused–

And he dropped to his knees.

Bone hit the floor with a nauseating crunch. He sharply inhaled; the choked sound grating to the ears. His hand found his abdomen – the very area that had been ripped and carved open by that cursed arrow, she noticed with a hint of dread – pressing it. 

"Hubert."

Edelgard wasn't sure she spoke at all and she was falling to his side a second later. His free hand fumbled with the vial on his belt, but he was trembling, trembling too much to get it unlatched–

With a grunt of frustration, she pushed his hand out of way, unfastening the teal-colored stupid thing herself. Edelgard almost broke the vial in her haste, as he mumbled some incoherent words as she pulled the cork. Then she lifted the glass to his lips.

He gulped. 

A moment passed. Edelgard almost pulled back until he choked, the teal-colored bright liquid pooling in his mouth and spilling on her hand, his neck, the floor. She dropped the vial, broken glass and blue medicine all over.

"It's not–" he coughed, words half-formed. "Not working."

Edelgard had always been praised for her quick-thinking on the battlefield. That time was no different.

"Help," she roared, getting up. She rushed to the door, opened it with a _ thump. _ There were two guards standing close, both bolted close to her.

She could see when they faltered, glancing at their Emperor like that. Edelgard could care less, a biting order ripping out of her throat.

"Get a bishop over here right now."

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/Comments/Feedback is always appreciated!!!  
Also shoutout to the bow knight reinforcements in Derdriu, the inspiration for this.


End file.
